1. Technical Field
The invention relates to artificial fire logs and fire starters. More particularly, the invention relates to artificial fire logs and fire starters that provide the consumer with a rough and thus easily ignitable edge. Specifically, the invention is a fire log or fire starter extruded such that a plurality of elongated sawdust and paraffin bodies are attached together by a reduced thickness neck of sawdust and paraffin that is easily severed or snapped apart whereby the severed neck provides a rough and thus easily ignitable edge with exposed fibers.
2. Background Information
Various types of fuel bodies, such as artificial fire logs and fire starters, have been developed. These fuel bodies, hereinafter referred to as fire logs which is meant to encompass fire starters and other artificial fuel bodies as well, have a number of uses. The most common use of fire logs and fire starters is by residential homeowners in a home fireplace to provide heat and/or an attractive fire closely simulating that of a natural wood fire without all of the mess and work associated with real wood.
Generally, these fire logs are formed of particulate flammable materials which are compressed into a predetermined and desirable shape. Most fire logs are formed of compressed sawdust, coal particles or other flammable materials. The particulate materials are combined with various wax binders and other binders for maintaining the desired shape of the fire log. These fire logs also may contain various types of additives therein to enhance burning or to produce a colored flame.
Fire logs made of particulate flammable materials, wax or similar binders, and additives, are generally formed by a continuous extrusion process. In a continuous extrusion process, the particulate flammable materials, appropriate binders and additives are compressed within an extrusion bore. The extruded stream exiting the bore is then cut into predetermined sizes and shapes, and then subsequently placed in a protective wrapper. The finished fire log has a smooth outer surface as a result of the extrusion process.
It is well known in the field that providing some form of wick or wrapping for rapid or more easy ignition of the fuel body is extremely beneficial. This eliminates the need for starter fuels or other igniter. Often newspaper or other paper is often used in place of or in conjunction with a wick or wrapper to assist or further assist in the lighting of the fire log.
Another known way of assisting the ignition process is the scratching or roughening of the surface of the fire log and then lighting the roughened area and particularly the exposed fibers. The consumer can perform this roughening step just prior to use although most consumers desire a ready to use, no mess fire log or starter. Manufacturers of such fire logs have tried to provide factory outer surfaces of a roughened or partially roughened nature where surface roughening is provided either during extruding or thereafter by an additional manufacturing step. However, the nature of the wax fire log is such that the surfaces becomes hard and smooth during packaging and/or shipping.
Special shipping containers or trays can be provided to maintain the roughened surface or edge by maintaining the separation between fire logs, controlling the environment and/or temperature, and/or protecting the roughened surface or edge. Such containers and trays are cost prohibitive as each adds needless cost, size, and other detrimental, costly, or undesirable factors to the production.
As a result, the present technology does not meet the optimal needs and desires of the consumers for an easy to ignite fire log. It is thus desirable to provide a fire log with a roughened edge or surface for easy ignition without the need for special trays, containers, wrappings, etc.
In addition, the present technology is such that each fire log and/or fire starter is separately extruded through a single extrusion die. Economies of scale and other considerations make continuous extrusion of multiple fire logs or fire starters through multiple dyes intercommunicating with one another so as to provide an extruded cross-sectional configuration of at least two or more fire logs in operative communication far more desirable.